1. Field
Embodiments to a smart home system using a portable device in which a gateway function is installed in the portable device to provide a smart home service using a multiplex gateway.
2. Description of the Related Art
Embodiments are associated with a home network system using a portable device in which the user may, using his/her portable device from outside his/her home, monitor the states of home appliances in the home and perform control operations based on the monitoring results.
In general, a home automation system (HAS) provides a variety of convenient functions to each home.
Particularly, the HAS has recently provided a wider variety of functions based on the Internet in cooperation with the development of data communication technologies, and a home network function may also be considered to be one of such functions.
The home network function refers to a function in which, when the user is away from home, he/she may access an Internet network using a computer terminal to monitor the states of various home appliances in the home and perform simple control operations based on the monitoring results.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional smart home system which provides such a home network function. In the conventional smart home system, the user may perform state-monitoring and control of home appliances 500-1 to 500-4 in a home through an external communication network 200 and a fixed gateway 400 in the home connected to the external communication network 200 using a portable device 100. The external communication network 200 may be coupled to an external server 300 located outside of a home.
That is, in the conventional smart home system, it may be possible to perform state-monitoring and control of the home appliances in the home through the fixed gateway 400, located in the home.
The use of the fixed gateway 400 necessitates the use of gate equipment. However, a consumer has difficulty in readily purchasing new equipment in that the smart home system is still at an early market stage.
Further, in a structure employing one such gateway 400, all functions are performed via the gateway 400, resulting in a bottleneck at the gateway 400. For this reason, the gateway 400 is required to have high performance.
In addition, when the gateway 400 malfunctions, a large amount of time may be required to fix the gateway 400, and services may not be provided to a customer during such time, resulting in great inconvenience to the customer.